…. calls for release of IPOB leader, Kanu
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The Campaign for Democracy (CD) and Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders’ Foundation (HURIDE) have called on Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu as a matter of urgency release the leader of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu to restore peace in South East.
The group however said that the continued detention of Kanu was the cause of insecurity in the Southeast and called Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the zone to curtail the killings in the area.
The Chairman of CD in South East and Executive Director, of HURIDE, Dede Uzor in a statement commended the efforts of some South East Governors to stop Sit -at-home in the zone, saying that he it’s efforts in futility without the release of Kanu.
The groups said instead of resorting to mere propaganda which does not yield much result but rather escalates insecurity in the zone the Governors and other political leaders in the zone should work hard for the Federal Government to release the leader of IPOB.
Uzor said that Federal Government under the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari threw away the opportunity of restoring peace in the country by refusing to release Nnamdi Kanu when both the Federal High Court and the Appeal Court set him free.
The group lamented that Buhari had told a delegation of Igbo leaders led by First Republic Aviation Minister Late Chief Mbazuluike Amechi that he would look into his request but later changed his mind that he would want Court to decide the fate of Nnamdi Kanu and a few months later Chief Mbazuluike died.
“Unfortunately, when the Court decided the case of Kanu which was contrary to Buhari’s expectation, he refused to release him. The former President threw the rule of law and statesmanship to the dog and clung to parochial interest by refusing to set Kanu free despite judgments of Courts of competent jurisdictions and by blatantly refusing to obey the rule of law thereby bastardizing and threatening the foundation of our democracy.
The group further asked President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to rise above the parochialism to release Kanu without further delay to stop the tension and insecurity in the country, particularly in the South East.